2022 (72) Nissan Juke 1.6 Hybrid Tekna+ 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

In 2022, Nissan's little Juke crossover took its first step into the electrified era with this Hybrid variant. Compared to the ordinary version, you get both more power and greater efficiency - though with a considerably higher price tag.

History

Nissan may have been one of the pioneers in EV motoring but the brand was slow to react to customer demand for Hybrids. Back in 2022, it still couldn't sell you one you could plug in, but by then other petrol/electric bases seemed well covered. Mild hybrid tech had been launched with the MK3 Qashqai, which along with the larger X-Trail SUV also offered the company's clever e-Power drivetrain in which all the 1.5-litre petrol engine does is to supply energy for the electrical system. For an electrification option with the brand's smaller Juke crossover, we hoped to see that innovative powerplant reappear again. Instead, Nissan opted for something a tad more conventional, updating the four cylinder 1.6-litre full-Hybrid petrol engine already familiar from several Renault models. It was positioned as a pricier alternative to the continuing old-tech three cylinder 1.0-litre DIG-T petrol engine most chose in the Juke, but there was the appealing combination of more power and better efficiency. The range received a thorough update in mid-2024. It's the pre-facelift 2019-2024-era versions of this J16 Hybrid design we look at here.

What You Get

If you know your Jukes, there's quite a lot to set this Hybrid version apart. Not only Hybrid badges on the front wings and boot lid but also gloss black trimming and smarter mesh for the partially blanked-off front grille, which has an active radiator shutter. There are also extra aerodynamic components to smooth airflow around front wheels, while if you scrabbled underneath, you'd also find a rear axle cover that reduces turbulence beneath the car. The interior is a little different in this Hybrid model, with a revised instrument dial set-up that shows the amount of power being supplied. The binnacle's 7-inch digital screen also shows energy flow as you drive. Earlier versions of this MK2 Juke unfortunately didn't adopt the more sophisticated infotainment screen from Nissan's larger Qashqai and Ariya models, so the 8-inch centre display continued in earlier versions of this MK2 Juke and back in 2022 was beginning to show its age. Still, it includes most of what you'd need, with navigation and 'Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring. An upgraded BOSE audio system can also be added. As in the ordinary Juke, space in the rear seat is fairly cramped by class standards but it'll be fine for a couple of kids. Bear in mind that with this Hybrid model, having to package the battery beneath the cargo area floor significantly reduces boot space - from 422-litres with the standard 1.0-litre model to 354-litres with this Hybrid.

What to Look For

There are various things a used buyer has to look out for here. It's worth checking out the www.jukeforums.com owners' site. There's also Nissan Juke owners group on Facebook. We've heard of potential stalling issues during acceleration, defective internal bearings and the possibility of a need for entire gearbox replacement if issues arise. We also heard of clutch problems, turbocharger faults, fuel economy concerns and premature wear on the front brake pads. And you should be particularly careful to check out the CVT auto gearbox; give the car a particularly thorough road test to make sure that changes are happening as they should. In one case, a CVT Juke owner found the car stuck in Park mode. We haven't come across and particular reported issues with this petrol/electric model's complicated powertrain - just a product recall with the hybrid electric vehicle control software. Since this is a family car, check for the usual side panel and alloy wheels scrapes - and signs of child damage or luggage scrapes inside.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2022 Juke Hybrid - Ex Vat autopartspro.co.uk) An oil filter is in the £5-£16 bracket. An air filter is in the £11-£17 bracket. Front and rear brake pads cost in the £17-£42 bracket. Front brake discs cost in the £30-£76 bracket. Rear brake discs cost in the £22-£47 bracket. A wiper blade's in the £5-£11 bracket. A shock absorber set's in the £95-£102 bracket.

On the Road

The numbers here certainly deserve a second glance: 20% better fuel economy, 25% more power and all of it controlled by three Hybrid drive modes and six gears, four for the engine and two for the EV system. Nissan claimed that the whole confection was its own but actually, the Juke Hybrid drivetrain was basically the same one Renault used in this period in the Clio, the Captur and the Arkana. Albeit with changes made to the 1.6-litre petrol engine (which here develops 93bhp) and to the set-up's electric motor (here putting out 48bhp and working with a 20bhp starter generator). Total system output is 141bhp. As with Renault, that e-motor is mounted within a four-speed 'multi-modal' auto gearbox which manages both power sources. What back in 2022 we hadn't seen before on any Renault was this Nissan's 'e-Pedal' function, which increases regenerative braking - to the point where the car can slow right down to 5mph when you come off the throttle. It also improves water cooling for the compact 1.2kWh battery, which always powers the car from start-off and can take you up to 34mph without troubling fossil fuel. Once you crest the EV speed barrier, the powertrain switches into 'series hybrid' mode, where the engine charges the battery - great for urban driving. And at high speeds and under heavy acceleration, the whole set-up reverts to 'parallel mode' in which both the e-motor and the engine drive the wheels. Nissan had to tweak the springs and dampers to accommodate the Hybrid system's extra 100kgs of weight and did so with settings it hoped would be firm enough to assure this Juke's urban status as 'the roundabout superstar' - their words, not ours. In other words, don't expect a cosseting ride over the speed humps. Get out on the open road and the 62mph sprint is dispatched in 10.1s, 1.7s quicker than the conventional 1.0-litre DIG-T model.

Overall

Nissan wanted us to believe that this Juke Hybrid gives you the advantages of EV motoring without the downsides. It doesn't quite work out like that, which is frustrating because using the e-Power drivetrain from the larger Qashqai would have bought that grand objective a little closer to real world reality. The slightly less sophisticated and more conventional 1.6-litre Hybrid powerplant that features here can't deliver 'e-Power'-style efficiency, but it does have some extra features that other Hybrids lack. Notably the clever 'e-Pedal' brake regeneration system. This Juke's better to drive than most of its rivals too. We wish the price premium over the ordinary 1.0-litre model wasn't quite so great, but if you can stretch to it and you want a stepping stone in this class to full-EV motoring from the 2022-2024 period, then this could be it.